Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - Quick report on HKG last night (30 April) and my flight to LHR

My comments here are re loads -

When I arrived ALL of the F checking desks were occupied and one other person was already waiting - I can not remember the last time this happened.

The F section of the Wing was business as usually in terms of population and I needed to wait for a Cabana to come available

I was the on the late LHR flight, which in itself was interesting in that they are still operating both of the midnight flights (altough the 3PM service is suspended)

F was two seats short of being full and based on baggage claim it looked like normal loads - I checked in 2.5 hours early and was BP sequence # 196

So in summary, it seemed pretty normal to me.

But thats just for LHR tho... all others... Empty http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

I flew from HKG to YVR on the 27/4 and was one of only 7 business class passengers in the lower cabin. The upper deck was about half full---coach was 80% full. On the flight over (LAX to HKG) Total business class passengers had only 14 people(and some of these were spouses of the cockpit crew). I walked through the coach cabin and I estimated it at around 20% full. Every single passenger had a row of seats to themselves and many rows were 100% empty.

So it's fair to say (and perhaps not surprising) that flights to HKG are struggling, but flights from HKG are still OK?

Could the reason why the F cabin on CX to LHR is almost full is because passengers don't want to have to stopover in BKK on BA and thus adding three hours to the journey time?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by francophile:
Could the reason why the F cabin on CX to LHR is almost full is because passengers don't want to have to stopover in BKK on BA and thus adding three hours to the journey time?</font>Excellent point. Also most firms are allowing assignees to return early (or have their families return), thus a surge in F bookings to LHR. For JFK it would be a surge in Y, the way things are these days.

I am wondering about the CX / BA rationale. I am trying to get on BA (in C) on three dates in June but BA is fully booked, only CX available. My initial suspicion was that pax are avoiding CX for the obvious (?)reasons.

CX 881 LAX HKG 1May
51 pax total on board : 4 in F and the
rest spread out in C and Y ( was told by
the IM ).
Got the air puff thermometer in the ear
at transit point , else , you'll be directed
to go to the Quarantine line !!!

[This message has been edited by AA2MM (edited 05-03-2003).]

I am currently WAITLISTED for First on CX251 in early June!! LHR must be one route where CX isn't doing too badly...



[This message has been edited by B-HXB (edited 05-03-2003).]

I think you'll find that the UK flights will be only a little below normal.. The British have a rather sensible attitude to the media scaremongers.. That is: Ignore them unless the details can be independently substantiated.. One of the reasons BA isnt hurting worse is that the Brits are flying in pretty much normal numbers.. its the americans who have never experienced terrorism or other life endangering problems that will tend to act like chicken little..

Given time.. and the several more terrorist incidents that *WILL* occur, america will join europe and get a pargmatic view of terrorism..

Just my 2Pence http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by B-HXB:
[B]I am currently WAITLISTED for First on CX251 in early June!! LHR must be one route where CX isn't doing too badly...
B]</font>

Presumably, one reason is because BA is not flying directly to HKG now and that leaves CX with the only F service - Virgin does not fly F.

Is BA still flying to hong kong at all or are they stopping somewhere first?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Darren:
Is BA still flying to hong kong at all or are they stopping somewhere first?</font>

They have cut their double daily return service in half and routed it via Bangkok in both directions for crew change so that crew aren't staying in HKG.